Pressure builds for criminal charges against Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's death
George Floyd's family is now represented by well-known civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump; Mike Tobin reports from Minneapolis.
A Minneapolis city councilwoman on Thursday called for leaders to declare that racism is a "public health issue" following the death of an African-American man in police custody.
Andrea Jenkins, vice president of the 13-member Minneapolis City Council, made her remarks at a news conference alongside Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo following a second night of demonstrations of the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, 46, died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer identified as Derek Chauvin pinned his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes while onlookers begged him to stop. Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe and died a short while later.
Protesters kneel in front of the Union Avenue police station in Memphis, Tenn., during a protest over the death of George Floyd, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Memphis, Tenn. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP)
"As we stand here grieving yet another loss of black life, a senseless, tragic loss of black life, I really don’t have many words, but I know that something’s got to change," Jenkins said.
"So, I am asking my colleagues, the mayor and anyone else who is concerned about the state of affairs in our community to declare a state of emergency declaring racism as a public health issue," she added. "Until we name this virus, this disease that has infected America for the past 400 years, we will never, ever resolve this issue."
Chauvin and three other police officers involved in the incident -- Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng -- were fired from the department Tuesday.
Floyd's death has prompted outrage and grief followed by a wave of protests nationwide calling for greater police accountability and for the officers to be criminally charged.
Demonstrations in Minneapolis continued Wednesday night, and some stores were looted and burned.
One man was found dead after a fatal shooting. Frey requested Gov. Tim Walz to deploy the National Guard to the city.
"I want to remind all of the people that are in the streets protesting: You have every absolute right to be angry, to be upset, to be mad, to express your anger," Jenkins said. "However, you have no right to perpetrate violence and harm on the very communities that you say that you are standing up for. We need peace and calm in our streets, and I am begging you for that calm."
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Arradondo acknowledged the trauma Floyd's death has caused but said he will not allow looting, arson and criminal acts in the name of the First Amendment.
“I know that there is currently a deficit of hope in this city and I know as I wear this uniform before you, this department has contributed to that deficit of hope, but I will not allow to continue to increase that deficit by re-traumatizing those folks in our community," he said.
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